


Nothing For Granted

by iloveromance



Category: Frasier (TV)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-21
Updated: 2019-08-20
Packaged: 2020-09-23 02:36:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 3,303
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20332648
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iloveromance/pseuds/iloveromance
Summary: Daphne witnesses a terrifying sight while having dinner with a girlfriend and her sense of security begins to crumble.





	1. Chapter 1

Daphne could hardly contain her excitement as she waited outside of the fast food restaurant for her friend Kate. It was, perhaps, the most unconventional place to meet, because Daphne wasn't a big fan of burgers and fries, but when Kate suggested meeting there, Daphne didn't hesitate to say yes.

It had been years since she'd last seen Kate, even more before she'd left Manchester and when her mum had mentioned that Kate had gotten a job as a professor at the University of Washington, Daphne immediately set to work on tracking her friend down. Her mum could be completely insufferable, but at times like this Daphne was reminded of how much she loved her. She made a mental note to call her mum and thank her and perhaps even invite her to Seattle for a visit. Or better yet, schedule a visit back to England. She did miss her home, but her real home was here, in Seattle.

She glanced at her watch and smoothed the sides of her shirt, happy that she was dressed appropriately in a purple blouse with a hem that barely hit the waistband of her jeans. The weather had been unseasonably warm in Seattle and when her heavy sweaters proved to be too suffocating, she was forced to dig in her closet for cooler clothes. She just hoped that she looked presentable. Not that Kate would care, but Daphne still felt self-conscious at times. Perhaps Niles and Frasier's pretentiousness had rubbed off on her in a very small way.

She sat, glancing at her watch; even though there were still a few minutes before Kate was due to arrive. And the second she looked up, she saw the unmistakable silhouette of her friend.

Daphne jumped up from the bench and hurried to greet her friend, who, to her relief, was dressed just a casually, if not more so. She was wearing a University of Washington sweatshirt and jeans… and she looked incredible, like no time at all had passed since they'd last seen each other. How was that possible?

Kate paused, her eyes widening. "Daphne?"

"Oh my God, Kate! Is that really you?"

They ran toward one another, coming together in a huge bear hug.

"Oh my God, I can't believe it!" Kate said. "I've missed you so much!"

"I missed you too!" Daphne said. Her emotions overcame her and she felt tears springing to her eyes. And that made her hug Kate even tighter.

Eventually Kate drew back and brushed the tears from her cheeks. "Come on, let's get inside before someone sees us and thinks we've gone mad!"

Daphne grinned. "Would that be such a bad thing?"

They broke into laughter and with their arms around each other, headed into the restaurant. Daphne couldn't wait to catch up on old (and new) times. It had been much too long.


	2. Chapter 2

They picked up their trays of burgers, shakes and fries and found a secluded place in the corner where they could catch up and hopefully not disturb anyone.

"I hope this place is okay." Kate said. "I know it's not the best place to meet, but I thought-."

Daphne reached across the table and squeezed Kate's hand. "It's fine. I'm sorry if I seemed uncomfortable with it. And actually…" She picked up a French fry and popped it into her mouth. "This place is quite good. It's been a long time since I-."

Her eyes saw the scene before her mind realized what was happening and she froze. Her eyes widened and she wasn't entirely convinced that what she was seeing was real or imagined. But then she heard Kate's voice and saw the faint movement of Kate's hand as it waved in front of her face.

"Daphne, are you okay? What's wrong? What is it?"

Suddenly Daphne was very, very afraid. She was terrified and she couldn't move. She could barely breathe. And she was only vaguely aware of the tears in her eyes.

"What is it? What-."

Kate turned her head and gasped. "Oh my God…"

Daphne squeezed Kate's hand across the table and swallowed hard.

"What should we do?" Kate whispered.

"I-I…" But Daphne could barely speak. She couldn't tear her eyes away from the horrific scene before her. It began somewhat innocently. Two young men who looked to be in their early twenties were standing at the counter, were talking to another young man who obviously worked there.

The young man behind the counter wore a blue and yellow uniform that was so common for the fast food chain. It was as though the company hadn't updated their uniforms in years.

The other young men were both wearing torn, faded blue jeans and black hooded sweatshirts. It was a wardrobe that was so typical of teenagers these days. Daphne seemed to see the same outfit on almost every teen in the city. Whatever happened to originality?

In a surprising move, the two teens in sweatshirts both jumped over the counter until they stood face to face with the young man in uniform and a few other employees. She thought nothing of it (kids will be kids after all and she did have eight brothers who were as rambunctious as ever, even in their adulthood), until she noticed something else.

In a scene right out of a movie, one of the young men in the black sweatshirt reached into his pocket and removed a small handgun, and then aimed it at the employee. She gasped, realizing that this boy was the person who had taken their order, and he was quite friendly and very good at his job. But now she feared for him and for herself.

A group of children and adults who sat at the table just feet from the front counter screamed and ran out of the restaurant. And then the crew members began arguing with the teenage boys; the one was still pointing the gun.

Daphne suddenly realized that she and Kate were the only ones left in the restaurant, but she didn't know what to do. It didn't feel safe to get up and leave, but she didn't want to stay in the restaurant. When she looked at Kate, it was apparent that Kate wasn't sure what to do either.

Daphne's fears began to worsen.


	3. Chapter 3

She was only vaguely aware of the two boys in sweatshirts, who had raced out of the restaurant and the young man who had been targeted (the one who had taken their order) began to chase them. Daphne couldn't believe that he would be so bold (or in this case, crazy) to risk his life, knowing that the boys had at least one gun in their possession. It didn't take living with a former Seattle Police officer to know that it wasn't safe to chase anyone with a gun. And the employee's co-workers seemed to agree. They began to follow him to the door, yelling at him to come back inside.

Daphne continued to stare, as a heavyset woman, whom she assumed was the manager, picked up the phone and dialed 911. She and Kate sat frozen in their seats, neither of them feeling secure enough to move. And the next thing she knew, the woman was at their table.

"Are you ladies all right?"

While Kate could only manage a quiet "Um…" Daphne couldn't speak at all. Instead she merely nodded absently and glanced out of the window where her car was in plain view, parked just a few steps from the restaurant door.

"Maybe we should-."

"Yeah, I think we should leave." Kate agreed.

Slowly the two women rose from their seats. "Where did you park?"

Daphne's heart was racing. "Right over there. Th-the blue car."

"Mine's the little orange one over there." She pointed to a space that was quite a ways from where Daphne had parked.

"D-Do you need a ride over there? I don't mind. I can-."

"No, I'll be fine."

"O-oh, all right. Well… We'd better get going then."

Their hands joined, they walked outside to the parking lot.

"Where's your car, Daphne?" Kate asked again. It was as though she hadn't heard Daphne's explanation the first time but then again, Daphne couldn't blame her.

Daphne's eyes went to the light blue sports car, the one that Frasier had bought her ages ago. It was payback, really, for his unwanted presence in her bedroom after she'd specifically asked him not to invade her privacy.

"That's mine." She said proudly, smiling for the first time since the terrifying event had shaken her so badly.

"It's cute! I wish my car looked that good!." She pointed once again to the orange Chevrolet convertible that looked like it had seen better days.

"Oh…" was all Daphne could say.

"It's ugly, but it runs." She said, as though reading Daphne's mind. "But I know, it's totally lame, right?"

Daphne actually laughed at Kate's peculiar choice of words. "Listen to you, using ridiculous American slang!"

"I guess working at U-Dub has made me a real American, right?"

"Yes, I would say so, just like Dr. Crane and his brother have rubbed off on me as well. The other day I caught meself singing a song from one of their silly operas. And I've never even seen the bloody thing!"

They both laughed but then fell silent at the sounds of sirens in the distance.

"The police are coming." Kate said quietly. "I hope they find those idiot teenagers and put them away for a long time. They deserve it."

Daphne froze, realizing that because the teenagers ran out of the restaurant, there was no telling where they had gone. They were still suspects at large, as Martin would say.

"Y-you're right." Daphne said, her voice quivering.

"Hey, are you going to be okay?"

Daphne nodded and swallowed hard. It was the first lie that she'd ever told her friend, even if it was a small one. "I-I think so. It's just a little scary."

Kate hugged Daphne tightly and it was several seconds before she let go. "I'm sorry this didn't work out. It's my fault for picking this place. I mean, who knew that the place I picked-."

Daphne clung to Kate once more, willing her tears to remain at bay. "Right. You should have let me do the choosing."

"I will next time, I promise. Living with a police officer, you're bound to pick better places than I have."

Kate laughed nervously and Daphne tried to join in with her, but the truth was, it wasn't very funny.

It wasn't funny at all.


	4. Chapter 4

As soon as he heard the key in the lock, Frasier smiled. "This must be Daphne."

"I'm sure it is, seeing that she's the only one with a key besides you and me!"

Frasier glared at his father.

"Why are you so anxious for her to get home anyway?"

"Curious to see how her dinner with Kate went."

"Oh geez, you're not going to grill her on every little detail are you?"

"No, Dad! I'm not going to grill her as you so graciously put it! It's just that she was so excited about seeing her friend. I mean it's all that she could talk about!"

"Well, that's true, but-."

The door opened and Daphne stepped into the foyer. "Oh, hello Dr. Crane. Mr. Crane."

Ignoring his father's advice, Frasier went to her immediately and smiled. "So, did you have a good time?"

She smiled, but there was something about the way she avoided his eyes. "Yes, it was lovely. Thank you."

"I'm sure that you two had a lot to catch up on."

"Yes, we did."

Frasier couldn't help noticing that her voice was barely audible. He longed to say something to her, but he felt the wrath of his father. "Well, I'm glad you had a good time."

"Yes, well, I think I'll go and get ready for bed. Goodnight."

She started to leave the room but he gently grabbed her arm. "You're going to bed now? But it's barely eight o' clock! Look, I don't mean to pry but you were so excited about your dinner with Kate. I just wanted to hear how it went!"

"Frasier-."

"Oh come on Dad, is there any harm in asking?"

"Yes, Fras, there's a lot of harm! In fact-."

To Frasier's horror (and his father's) Daphne turned around and began to cry. He looked at his father in confusion. "Dear God…" Tentatively he reached for Daphne's shoulder. "Daphne?"

"Hey what's wrong? If you're upset about Frasier-."

"Dad-."

When Daphne turned around once more, she clung to Frasier, crying into his suit. "Oh, Dr. Crane, it was awful!"

"Oh, well, I'm sorry to hear that. But-."

"It was the scariest thing I've ever seen in my life!"

"Scary? What the hell are you talking about?" Martin asked. "It was just dinner!"

"Daphne, what happened?"

"It was horrible." Daphne said, her voice barely a whisper.

"Why don't you come and sit on the sofa?" Frasier guided her from the foyer to the Cocoa Chanel sofa and they sat down.

"What happened?"

"Well, we were in there eating our dinner-or trying to anyway and a man… no, a boy, really-with a gun came into the restaurant and threatened the boy at the counter-the one who had waited on us. I-I thought…"

"Dear God…" Frasier said.

"My God, Daphne. Thank God you're okay."

She nodded. "Yes. It was terrifying."

"Well, what about Kate? Is she all right?"

"She was pretty shaken up as well. But the manager came by and asked if we were all right. We decided that it was best that we leave."

"So what happened to the kid? The one with the gun?"

"I don't know, Mr. Crane. He ran out of there so fast and the boy that he threatened began to run after him until his coworkers persuaded him not to. But I'm so scared!"

Frasier took Daphne into her arms and held her. "I know… but you're safe now."

"But what if-."

"Look, I'll call some of the guys in my precinct and see if they know anything. Don't worry about it, Daphne. He won't come anywhere near here. Chances are it's just a stupid kid."

"You're right." She said. "I'm sorry I got so worked up."

"It's a scary thing." Martin said. "I was a cop for so long that I was used to seeing guns and so forth but after I got shot…"

Daphne hugged him. "I know and I appreciate the way you look out for us. Thank you old man."

The doorbell rang and Daphne rose from the sofa. "I'd better get that."

"Daphne you don't have to."

She smiled at him. "Well, I want to."

She opened the door and saw him standing in front of her. It was such a relief, seeing someone she cared about so much, that she wrapped her arms around him and began crying once again.


	5. Chapter 5

Niles looked at his brother and father in confusion while he held Daphne in his arms. He was so surprised that he barely noticed the heavenly scent of her hair or the way she was holding onto him. It was a scenario he'd only dreamed about and now it had come true. But he couldn't figure out why.

"Um, Daphne?"

She pulled out of his arms and looked at him tearfully. "I'm sorry, Dr. Crane. I guess I'm just an emotional mess tonight."

"Well, I-."

"Niles, Daphne had some… trouble this afternoon when she met her friend Kate for lunch." Frasier explained.

"Yeah, seems some jackass pulled a gun on the kid at the counter while she was there."

Niles gasped in horror and he felt his heart racing. "Dear God, Daphne! Are you all right?"

"I-I think so, but-."

"She's a little shaken up."

"So did they catch the guy or-."

"No, I'm afraid not."

"You mean he's still out there somewhere?" His voice rose and he began to panic.

"Niles, just calm down. Everything will be fine. I'm going to call some guys at the station and see if they know anything. Chances are this kid won't try it again."

"Well, what if he does, Dad?"

"I'll make sure he doesn't."

Niles swallowed hard. "Well, I-."

"I'd better go to bed now. Goodnight, Dr. Crane. Mr. Crane. Dr. Crane."

"Wait a minute Daphne. I have an idea."

"Oh geez, not another bright idea!"

"Dad, please!"

"What sort of idea, Dr. Crane?"

"Well, I was thinking… Niles have you had dinner?"

"Um, no… I-."

"I suspect that Daphne didn't eat much either. Why don't you take her out to dinner?"

Niles couldn't help but smile. It was like a dream come true. "You-You mean like a date?"

"Well, if you want to call it that, but I think she needs to take her mind off of what happened."

"Yes, I couldn't agree more. What do you say, Daphne? Anywhere you want to go and-."

"I don't know… I…"

"Please?"

She smiled. "All right. Just let me get changed. I'm a mess."

"You're beautiful."

His comment earned him a kiss on his cheek. "You're sweet. Thank you, Dr. Crane."

"Well, we're off." Niles announced. "We won't be late."

"Don't worry about that, Niles. Just have a good time."

"We will."

As he walked out of the condo with Daphne by his side, he felt like he was floating.

They reached the restaurant and were seated almost immediately.

"This is lovely." Daphne remarked. "I didn't expect anything so fancy."

"Anything for you."

She reached across the table and took his hand. "Thank you, Dr. Crane. This means so much to me. I'm sorry I was so frazzled before. I just… Well the whole thing terrified me."

"I can only imagine. I mean, someone pulling a gun on another person? It just gives me a bad feeling."

"Oh right, because of your father. Well, don't worry about him. He's doing much better."

"Thanks to you."

"Dr. Crane…"

"It's true, Daphne. You're wonderful."

"So are you."

They shared polite conversation over dinner and Daphne spoke openly about what had happened at the restaurant during her lunch with Kate. Niles did his best to reassure her that she would never be in danger again, although he knew that it was an impossible promise to make.

Later when he walked her to Frasier's door, he realized that it was much later than either of them had anticipated. "Well, here we are. Tell Frasier I'm sorry for keeping you out so late."

"No, it's all right. I enjoyed it very much."

He grinned shyly. "Really?"

She wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tightly. "You always make me feel so safe, Niles Crane. And I can't thank you enough."

"Well…"

"Dr. Crane?"

"Yes?"

"Can we… do this again sometime? I mean, not necessarily the fancy restaurant and I don't expect you to pay, but can we go out again, just you and I? I enjoy being with you… You're a wonderful friend."

"I-Yes, absolutely. When?"

"We'll discuss it the next time you come over."

"How about tomorrow? I mean, I'll come over tomorrow. You think Frasier will mind?"

"Well, you come over every day anyway, so I don't think he will."

"All right then. I'll see you tomorrow. And Daphne? Don't worry, all right? Dad will take care of everything. He and Frasier won't let anything happen to you. And neither will I."

She kissed his cheek once more. "Thank you, Dr. Crane. You mean the world to me."

After giving her one more hug goodnight, he stepped into the hallway and closed the door behind him. But then he leaned against it, his palm flat on the door. "You mean the world to me too, Daphne. And that's just for starters."

THE END


End file.
